Shaun Kane (foreground) is the first CU Boulder faculty member to receive the Sloan Fellowship for work in computer science.
Shaun Kane, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been selected as a 2016 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, the first CU-Boulder faculty member to receive the prestigious fellowship for work in computer science.
Awarded annually since 1955, Sloan Fellowships honor early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as the next generation of scientific leaders. Fellows receive $55,000 to further their research.
Kane’s research centers on accessible user interfaces and mobile human-computer interaction. His Superhuman Computing Lab explores ways to make mobile devices easier to use, especially for people with disabilities or people in distracting environments.
"I am honored to receive this fellowship, and couldn't have achieved this without the support of my mentors, colleagues and students," Kane said. "This award will help support our ongoing work to level the playing field and make computing technology more accessible for everyone."
James Martin, who chairs the CU-Boulder Department of Computer Science and who nominated Kane for the award, calls him a creative and passionate advocate for inclusive access to technology for all people, regardless of ability.
“His work on accessible touch screen gestures is an example of the effectiveness of his approach. He anticipated the growth in the use of touch screens as a primary means of interacting with computing and communication devices,” Martin said. “As a result, his techniques have been rapidly incorporated into the designs of current systems. Moreover, his work has demonstrated that truly inclusive design leads to better technology for all. His new focus on mobility, wearable computing, and tools for enabling people to design and adapt their own technologies will be similarly transformative.”
Before joining the CU-Boulder faculty, Kane was an assistant professor of information systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He earned his PhD from the University of Washington. He recently received the Best Paper at CHI 2016, the top conference for human-computer interaction.